Like a Fine Wine
by Leanne8582
Summary: Luke Skywalker is arrested for a crime he did not commit.
1. The Arrest

Title: Like a Fine Wine   
Author: Leanne8582   
Rating: R   
Spoilers: Takes place after Union, but before the NJO.   
  
*Author's note* I don't own any of these characters. This is George's show. Also, big thanks to Kathryn who bata'd for me. I couldn't have done this without you.   
  
Like a Fine Wine   
  
Couruscant- New Republic Maximum Security Prison   
  
Luke sat in his detention cell. He watched as water dripped steadily from a pipe above. He could have reached out with the Force to silence the water, but the Force was no longer with him. The ysalamiri placed around his cell made sure of that. The guards needn't have bothered. He had spent half his life fighting to preserve the New Republic. He wasn't about to throw that all away just to escape. Even if they had sentenced him to death.   
  
************************************************************************   
  
Six Months Earlier   
  
Luke couldn't have been more excited. He was finally going to be able to see Mara again. He knew that when they got married that they would have to spend some time apart, but these last four months had been hard, real hard. Luke was counting the minutes until he saw Mara again, since he had been on Yavin 4, instructing the next generation of Jedi, and she had been on Coruscant, working for the Smuggler's Alliance. Luke was now counting the minutes until they were together again.   
  
Luke brought his shuttle out of hyperspace one hour away from the city-planet. There was so much traffic in the skies above the capital of the New Republic that a pilot had to allow extra time for an approach. With the ship safely on course, Luke reached out with his senses.   
  
*Mara....... Are you listening? Can you here me?* There was no response, but that didn't concern Luke. She must be busy, he thought. I'll just surprise her at the apartment then.   
  
Luke closed his eyes and started to meditate. As his breathing slowed he fell into the trance. The universe disappeared and he became one with the Force.   
  
************************************************************************   
  
Beep. Beep. Beep. Luke opened his eyes. It was the proximity alarm. He was nearing Coruscant. Luke quickly stood up and headed for the controls. His nimble fingers flew over the controls.   
  
"Coruscant Traffic Control, this is Luke Skywalker aboard the Yavin Sun, requesting to land.   
  
"Hold, Yavin Sun," said the woman on the other end of the comm. The Traffic Control Officer's side of the comm went silent. A few minutes passed, then, "Master Skywalker, you are cleared to land on platform 96 at Main Hanger A. Do you copy?"   
  
"Platform 96 at Main Hanger A. Understood, Control." Luke brought the ship into the atmosphere. As he approached the platform he suddenly felt a great sense of unease. Luke reached out with the Force. Someone was waiting for him to land. W ell that's easy to explain, he thought. It's probably Leia. She usually likes to greet me when I arrive on planet. He reached out with force, again. It wasn't Leia, but it was a woman. Whoever she was, she was definanly waiting for him.   
  
Luke brought the shuttle down. As the hatch opened, Luke stepped out. Standing on the platform, about two meters from his shuttle was a tall woman with long black hair so dark it was almost violet. And standing right behind her were six men, all with blasters aimed at him, and ysalamiri frames strapped to their backs. No wonder I didn't sense them, thought Luke. These people were obviously waiting for him. The woman took a step forward.   
  
"Master Skywalker, I am Detective Tania Rishant with Couruscant Police Force. You are under arrest and must come with us." The six men took a step forward, and Luke was encased in the Ysalamiri bubble.   
  
" I'll be more than happy to accompany you, Detective, but can I at least know the crime of which I am being charged."   
  
"Murder, of your wife, Mrs. Mara Jade-Skywalker.....   
  
  
*Love it, hate it, review and let me know.


	2. The Visit

Chapter 2   
  
Leia hurried down the corridors of the detention center with Wedge Antilles, who was bravely attempting to keep up while still looking like a dignified New Republic general. As fast as her feet were going however, they were no match for the speed of her racing thoughts. Mara dead and Luke in jail. Mara dead and Luke in jail.........   
  
Leia rounded a corner and skidded to a halt. There it was: Detention Cell # 9982. Luke's cell. Leia shook her head at the thought. "Luke's cell." What a strange combination of words. Separately, perfectly sensible, but together..........   
  
There was a guard standing watch at the door. Leia marched right up to him with absolutely no hesitation. She may no longer be the Chief of State, but when it came to her brother, nothing would stand in her way. "Guard, I am High Councilor Leia Organa Solo and my companion is General Wedge Antilles. I demand to see my brother, right now."   
  
The guard tossed a lazy look her way. "Sure, no problem lady, but I need to see the usual forms of ID. Your government identity card, fingerprints, retinal scan, High Council security pass code and visual confirmation from the prisoner. Oh, and a complete weapons scan."   
  
Leia was taken aback. "That sounds like a lot. Is that standard procedure?"   
  
"Nope, but Master Skywalker is a high profile prisoner. Also, the higher ups were worried about assassination attempts."   
  
"Assassination attempts?"   
  
"Well, sure. See, because of Master Skywalker's obvious attributes, locks and bars and guards don't mean much. So we've surrounded his cell with ysalamiri. Makes the rest of it a bit more effective. Thing is though, there are a lot of people who hate Jedi, or the New Republic, or both, and would love to take a crack at the famous Luke Skywalker. Without the Force, he's pretty vulnerable. So we've added security."   
  
"I see," said Leia thoughtfully. "If I provide everything that you ask for, will you let us see my brother."   
  
"Sure," said the guard, "but only one at a time."   
  
**************************************************   
  
Leia stepped into Luke's cell and looked down at him. He sat on the end of the bed, looking down at his feet. He wore his usual blacks, but in this case they look like mourning attire. His shoulders were hunched and he appeared to be only a shadow of the man she knew as her brother. Luke looked up at her. She could see the sadness in his eyes, the concern for her, the terrible aching grief for Mara, but no guilt, no deception. That was good enough for her.   
  
"Luke"   
  
"It was good of you to come Leia."   
  
"You know I had to."   
  
"Leia, they said that Mara was dead and that they suspect me of killing her. Leia, it isn't true. Please tell me it isn't true."   
  
Leia looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm afraid it is true, Luke. The Coruscant Police Force got a call about seven hours ago. One of your neighbors heard blaster fire and a woman screaming. When they got there your apartment had been trashed and their was blood everywhere. Mara was nowhere to be found, but with that much blood, it's doubtful that she could be alive."   
  
Luke took this all in with a quiet calm. Leia knew that it must be taking all of his discipline and self control to keep that composure. Even without the force, she could sense the turmoil and pain he was masking.   
  
"Why do they think that I've done this. I just landed on Coruscant."   
  
"Well, actually, they don't. They found the person that killed Mara. He's a notorious assassin. The building's security system caught him breaking in and dragging Mara out. His name was Tezz Smythe. Apparently, he's the type that would take any job as long as it paid enough. He was killed in a fire fight with the CPF before he could name his employer."   
  
"So the Coruscant Police Force thinks that I was the one that hired him."   
  
"Yes, unfortunately so."   
  
"But why?"   
  
"They found some sort of documentation that connects the two of you. I wasn't able to find out what it was. Luke, I'm working with the Coruscant Criminal Justice Department on getting you out on bail."   
  
Luke glanced at the hall, "Who did you bring with you? Han?"   
  
Since he had become a Jedi, Luke had never asked such a question. It broke Leia's heart to see her brother stripped of the Force. "No, I couldn't get a hold of him and I wanted to come right away. It's Wedge. I ran into him after leaving my office. When I told him what happened he wanted to come and offer his support."   
  
"Speaking of Wedge, isn't one of the Rogues an attorney."   
  
Leia looked confused. "Luke, I plan on getting you the best attorney in the galaxy."   
  
"Leia, I don't want some hotshot that's only going to take this case for the publicity. I want someone that knows me and what I stand for. I want the lawyer that defended Corran for Tycho's murder."   
  
"Okay, Luke. I'll see what I can do."   
  
Suddenly, the cell door opened. It startled the two Force-less Jedi. The guard walked in. "Hey, visiting time is over. Detective Rishant wants him for questioning," he said pointing at Luke.   
  
  
To be Continued..............................   
  
  
*loved it, hated it, review and let me know. 


	3. The Interogation

Leia watched as the guards led her brother out of his cell. Leia couldn't stop the tears no matter how hard she tried. Wedge put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. Leia latched on to him with all her strength. It was as if Wedge's arms were the lifeline keeping her connected to reality.  
  
"It will be okay, Leia," Wedge said as her rubbed her back to reassure her. "Luke's gotten himself out of more jams than anyone I know."   
  
"I know, Wedge, I know. It's just that, nothing like this has ever happened to him before. Having to cope with imprisonment and the death of his wife all at once… I'm worried that the strain will be too much for him."  
  
Wedge looked at Leia with eyes full of friendship. "If there's anything I or any of my men can do for Luke, just let me know."  
  
"Actually there is one thing. Luke has asked to have the man that defended Tycho when he was framed for murdering Corran, as his attorney."  
  
"Nawara Ven?  
  
"Yes. Will he do it?"  
  
"Gee, Leia, I don't know. After he left the Rouges, Narawa went back to Ryloth. He stopped practicing law and became some kind of local politician. Last I heard he was lobbying to increase interstellar trade between Ryloth and Corellia.   
  
"Wedge, Han and I will be leaving tomorrow for Ryloth. I would like it very much if you could come with us."  
  
"Sure Leia, no problem. Will this be an official trip?"  
  
"No, I'll make it a personal outing so we'll take the Falcon instead of the Rebel Dream."  
  
"Okay, give me a few hours to clear my schedule. I'll meet you at your apartment."  
  
"I'll see you in two hours."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Coruscant Police Force Interrogation Room  
  
Luke Skywalker sat with his hands folded on his lap. His face was a mask of serenity, but inside, his heart was filled with pain. The guards had not transferred the ysalamiri along with him. This might be his only chance to reach Mara, if she was still out there.   
  
Luke closed his eyes, and reached out into the cosmos. *Mara… Mara, can you here me? Love you, baby* There was no answer, but Luke just couldn't believe that his Mara was dead. No, it can't be true. Mara is the bravest, strongest person I know. She wouldn't have give up without a fight. I know it.  
  
Luke sensed the detective coming. He quickly withdrew his Force sense inside of himself and sat up straight. Just as he was adjusting his collar, the door swung open. Two armed guards and the feral looking Detective Rishant enter his cell. Luke hadn't noticed it before, but she was a very striking woman. She was tall, probably about two meters. Her black-violet hair contrasted sharply with her pale creamy skin. As wonderful as her features were, however, all Luke could look at were her eyes, narrowed and full of hate, looking straight at him.  
  
"So, Master Skywalker, you see yourself to be above the laws of this planet and the New Republic. Does your status as a war hero give you leave to do as you wish, regardless of the consequences?" Detective Rishant walked over and sat in a chair directly in front of Luke. "I have but one question for you. Why did you have your wife killed?"  
  
"You obviously don't know me very well Detective," said Luke, his voice as cold and as hard as ice. "If you did you would know that I could never kill Mara. I love her more than life itself."  
  
"Ah, but I have evidence to the contrary, Master Skywalker." The detective reached inside one of the pockets of her jacket and pulled out several data cards and a reader. She slipped one of the cards into the machine. "This document says that 10,000 New Republic Credits were transferred from your bank account to one belonging to the assassin Tezz Smythe, through a series of transactions." She picked up another card. "This is a medical document we obtained through a search warrant. It shows that Mrs. Skywalker was barren and unable to have children. Not terribly damning in itself, but it provides motive when combined with this."  
  
"What is that," Luke asked pointing at the third disk.   
  
"A journal entry. Yours to be exact. In it you talk about how you can't wait to have children to carry on your name and teach the Jedi ways."  
  
No, thought Luke, This can't be happening.   
  
"And finally," said the detective, " the best part." She held up the last disk. "This is an old Imperial duty roster. It shows that, while acting as the Emperor's Hand, Mrs. Skywalker was in charge of the troops that killed your aunt and uncle on Tatooine. According to this disk, you were sent this information seven months ago. Don't the Falleen have a saying. 'Vengeance is like a fine wine. It must be aged until perfect.'"  
  
Luke looked at the detective and did the only thing that he could do. He bowed his head and started to sob…..  
  
TBC 


	4. Stuck in a Room with You

Author's note: Two years. Two years since I last updated this story. Wow. What can I say? I blamed my long hiatus on writer's block. Or a lack of interest. Neither of those were true. Subconsciously, I knew that I just couldn't do it. When I started this in 2001, I was nineteen years old. I hadn't been writing very long and this was going to be my first multi-chapter fic. But I couldn't do it. This fic was going to involve multiple canon characters, plus a major OC. It was going to take place on several planets, requiring research. In short, I had neither the experience or technical skill to do this story right. So I didn't. But here I am, about to turn 21, with 2 more years of writing under my belt. And to quote one of my favorite TV shows: "I wasn't ready before, but I think I am now." I can't promise to update every week, but I promise that my chapters will be as good as I can make them. Thank you. 

Leanne

7/30/03 

*********************************

Like A Fine Wine 

Chapter 4: Stuck in a Room with You

Tania Rishant didn't get to be a detective in the Coruscant Police Force by giving up. Which is why she was still there, in that room, with _him._ She pushed her chair back away from the table at which she was sitting. The legs of the simple metal chair made and obnoxious screeching noise as they scraped against the duracrete floor of the interrogation room. Detective Rishant stretched her arms up over her head in an effort to relieve the pain and tension in her shoulders. The prisoner in front of her made no attempt to do the same. It would have been quite useless, however. His hands were confined by manacles that were attached to the top of the metal table where they were sitting. 

Detective Rishant was growing tired and frustrated- a bad combination when it comes to police work. The tiredness could make her sloppy. She could miss something- a tic, a flinch, a guilty look. Not that he would ever let anything slip past that calm demeanor. The frustration was worse. Frustration often became anger, which often became violence. And she wasn't letting this one slip away due to some bogus police brutality charge. 

Detective Rishant looked around the room again. Anything to avoid the penetrating gaze of the man sitting before her. She was unnerved that he affected her so much. She had interrogated hundreds of criminals- many of them right here in this very room. That fact that this one man had her so off her game concerned her. 

__

How can he be so serene? she thought. _ This room is driving me nuts and I'm not even the one chained up._ The room was simple. Four walls, a table, and two chairs. No windows and one door. The table and chairs were made from the same plain metal. All three were both unadorned, function being of much greater importance than fashion. The floor was solid duracrete and the walls were made of some sort of synthetic, green in color and impervious to blaster fire. The room's only decoration- if you could call it that- was a simple holocam in the south-west corner. It was recording everything that happened. Detective Rishant had hoped to use it's images to during the trial, but unless the prosecution needed three hours of film showing Luke Skywalker sitting still and not saying anything, it wasn't going to be much help. 

Detective Rishant took a deep breath and tried one more time. "Master Skywalker, I have no problem going over this again. Even if it takes another three hours. Now, why did you pay Tezz Smythe to kill your wife."

"I told you that I didn't. I didn't pay anyone anything. I love Mara."

"Listen," said Detective Rishant as she leaned over the table. "I need a break. But I'm going to come back in ten minutes. I suggest you use this time wisely and think about what you want to tell me when I get back."

The detective stood and calmly strode out of the room. As the door automatically closed itself behind her she took a deep breath. She looked around the deserted hallway. No visual reprieve out here. It displayed the same Spartan decor as the interrogation room. The only difference was that every meter or so, there was a window. Not a large one, but a window nonetheless. Tania didn't know why the designer had installed them Perhaps it was to give the prisoners a small glimpse of the outside world as they were being marched back and forth from their detention cells to the interogation rooms. 

Tania heard the turbolift at the end of the hall open. She turned to see who it was and her face lit up with a tired but genuine smile as she saw the turbolift's lone passenger step off. Her friend and ex-partner, Jareth, walked up to her. In his hand he held a small glass of water. She shot him a grateful look and took the cup from him. She swallowed the water in one long gulp. "Thanks."

"No problem, Champ. How's it going in there?"

"Not so great. I was hoping he'd crack before now. I mean, we've cut him off from the force, no visitors since his sister and General Antilles stopped by. He's got to be feeling lonely- desperate. What's it going to take to get this guy to buckle?"

Jareth shrugged. "He's a Jedi. Isn't that supposed to be about self discipline and mental strength?"

"Forget mental strength!" Tania said as she hurled her formerly full cup across the hallway. "I need a confession. I don't know what I'm going to do if I don't get one."

Jareth looked carefully into Tania's eyes and said, "Maybe he doesn't have one to give. Maybe he's innocent."

Tania looked at Jareth, the trust in her expression now replaced with wariness. "I never figured you for a Jedi-worshipper."

"Not 'worship'," he corrected. "Just a well deserved sense of respect."

"Great. You go ahead. Respect away. Just remember, we've got a guilty man in there whose going to get away with murdering his wife."

"What makes you so sure he's guilty?"

"What makes you so sure he's not?"

"I never said that I was sure."

"No. You just think he is. Why? Because he's Luke Skywalker. Hero of the New Republic. He single-handedly killed the Emperor and brought the Jedi Order back from the brink of extinction. And you know what," she said dejectedly. "That's what a jury is going to see too. A hero- beyond reproach."

She slumped against the door. "Jareth, what am I even doing? Maybe you were the smart one. Taking that promotion and the desk that went with it."

"Well, I didn't exactly have a choice. Besides, a desk job would drive you nuts. You need to be out there, in the thick of things."

"I don't know. I'm getting pretty old."

"Yeah, right," said Jareth. "You're what? 34? 35?"

"Turned 36 last month."

"Now if you were one of the shorter lived species, I'd agree, but seeing as you're a human, I don't think it's time to put you out to pasture quite yet."

"I just hate that this guy thinks he's above the law."

"Then show him that he's not. Go back in there and get that confession. Or, if he's not guilty, look over everything again and figure out who you need to go after."

Tania smiled at Jareth again. "Thanks, old man."

"You're welcome." Jareth turned and started back towards the turbolift, whistling what Tania recognized as an old Corillian folk tune. 

Tania squared her shoulders and steeled herself. She placed her hand, palm out, on the scanner for the interrogation room's door. The scanner studied her fingerprints and then lit up green to show she had been identified. With a soft beep and a whoosh of air, the door slid open. Detective Rishant stepped inside and looked down at Luke Skywalker. He was still sitting the same position as when she left. Luke tilted his head up and his haunted blue eyes looked at the detective. Tania grinned wickedly and said, "Shall we try this again?"

TBC........... 


End file.
